Charles, Count of Soissons

Charles, Count of Soissons (3 November 1566-1 November 1612) was a French nobleman and general who served as Lieutenant-General of New France from 1611 to 1612, succeeding Pierre Dugua and preceding Henry II de Bourbon, Prince de Conde.

Biography
Charles de Bourbon was born in Nogent-le-Rotrou, Kingdom of France in 1566, the son of Louis I de Bourbon, Prince de Conde and Francoise de Orleans, Princess de Conde. He sided with the Catholics during the French Wars of Religion despite his half-brothers' loyalty to Protestantism, and he later fought for the Huguenots. He fought at Coutras in 1587 and led the king's cavalry during the 1590 siege of Paris. He seized Chartres in 1591 and Rouen in 1592, and he commanded troops in Savoy in 1600 during the war with Spain. In 1610, he served as Governor of Normandy, and he became the Lieutenant-General of New France in 1611, assisting Samuel de Champlain in his efforts to colonize the New World. He died at the Chateau de Blandy-les-Tours in 1612.